Thanks to his flashy style and success on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): “Latin America,” Rodriguez entered this bout with a fair bit of momentum behind him. With a victory over FIli, Rodriguez would likely earn a position inside the Top 15. Meanwhile, Fili was still looking to put together his first UFC win streak. He’s already had some ups-and-downs in his short UFC career, but now “Touchy” was ready to start his streak to the top.

Instead, his opponent continued to climb the ladder with a spectacular knockout win.

Fili made his intentions clear early, feinting his way forward and looking to throw his hands. About a minute into the round, Fili landed a hard body kick, but Rodriguez caught the strike and scored with a takedown.

From top position, Rodriguez landed some nice ground strikes and eventually passed into side control. Fili kicked his way back to his feet with a minute remaining and was able to land some nice strikes before the end of the round, but it wasn’t enough to make up for his opponent’s top control.

“Pantera” took the first round.

After a minute or so on the feet, Rodriguez scored a second takedown but could not control top position for long. Back on their feet, the two had a couple fairly even exchanges on the feet.

And suddenly, it was all over.

Fili took a step back from his opponent, and Rodriguez advanced forward. Then, Rodriguez leaped ….View full article